Key guide



R. A. BYRNE June 21,1960

KEY GUIDE Filed April 2, 1958 mvswrozz Ra;mond A. Byrne ATT( )RNEY United States Patent KEY GUIDE Raymond A. Byrne, '354 E. 82nd St., New York, NY. Filed Apr. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 725,829

4 Claims. (Cl. 70-454) This invention relates to a key guide for cylinder-type locks.

It is the principal object of the present invent-ion to provide a key guide that will sufficiently cover the key hole as to permit effective and efiicient guiding of the key into the key hole and at the same time permit the key when in the lock in its home position to be turned.

It is another object of the invention to provide a key guide for a cylinder typ'e lock that covers the lock sufficiently and which will flex inwardly to allow the key handle to be turned over the guide slot and yet be returnable to its position extended over the opening in proper location for receiving and guiding the key into the key opening. 7 V i It is still another object of the invention to provide a key guide for a cylinder type lock that is so shaped and formed that will substantially cover the entire front face of the lock to not only provide a guide therefor but to also provide a cover on a hood over the lock and to prevent rain and snow from entering the lock opening.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a key guide for cylinder-type locks, having the above objects in mind, which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, adapted for mass production, easy to install upon the door over the face of the lock, of pleasing appearance, that is durable, effective and eflicient in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front plan view of the key guide assembled over a cylinder-type look upon the door or like,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken of the key guide taken generally on line 22 of Fig. l with the key being initially guided into the lock opening,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 with the key fully inserted in the cylindertype lock and the center of the key guide depressed so that the key can turn the lock cylinder,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the key guide showing the key being inserted in the lock and guided by the notch thereof to the lock'opening, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the two modified key guides formed from a single dish shaped blank and illustrating the manner in which the guide blank is cu Referring now to the figures, represents the key guide embodying the features of the present invention. This key guide is positioned over a cylinder lock 11 in a door 12 and which has a key opening 13. This key opening is adapted to receive a key 14 that has a straight side edge 15 for alignment with the upper side of the I slot 13, a handle 16 and a restricted or reduced portion 17. The key guide 10 is formed of a dish shaped blank which can flex inwardly, Fig. 3, to permit the turning of the key in the lock 11 when the key is extended home into the key opening 13 so as to permit it to be rotated without interference from the key guide.

This key guide 10 has a peripheral flange 19 by which the guide can be secured to the door surface and over the lock 11. This securement can be effected by small nails driven through the flange 19 and into the door or by an adhesive disposed between the inner face of the flange and the door surface. The guide can be placed or installed upon the door after the key 14 has been inserted into the key opening 13 so as to be centered thereby, and with the guide properly positioned, the guide can be made secure with the adhesive or with nails.

Extending inwardly from the flange is a bulbous or raised portion 20 that terminates with an arcuate rib 21. Extending inwardly from this rib is a normally flexible flat area 22 that has a slot or notch 23 adapted to be centrally located over the key opening 13. The flange 19, the portion 20, arcuate rib 21, flexible flat area 22 are cut away or relieved below the notch 23 to provide radially extending guide edges 24 and 25 angled from each other approximately degrees and extending respectively to the respective opposite edges of the notch 23 so that with the key edge 15 engaging either one of these radial edges and with the upward pressure being applied to the key, the key will be guided automatically upwardly toward and into the notch 23 that centrally overlies the opening 13 in the cylinder lock 11 and with an inward thrust of the key when it reaches the notch 23 it will automatically enter the key opening 13. When the key has been pushed home, its small shoulders 26 and 27 will have passed through the notch 23 and brought into flush engagement with the lock face. Since the key guide is formed of flexible self-supporting plastic material, the flat area 22 thereof will be depressed by the key and the sides of the notch will be seated in the restricted edge portions 17 and 18 of the key and held against outward deflection by the inner edge of the key handle 16. The guiding action of the notch is no longer necessary once the key has been inserted into the lock and hence the depressing of the flexible area 22 will not have spoiled the guiding action of the notch.

It will be apparent that by having the-guide formed of depressible and flexible material that there has been made possible the location of the notch 23 centrally over the opening 13 where it has its maximum guiding effect and at the same time permits the turning of the key. There is no interference from the guide even though the notch '23 centrally overlies the key opening 13 to prevent the key from being turned. The key can be turned just as if the key guide had not been present. Thus there has been provided a key guide slot which in eflect is automatically removed or depressed as the key is turned. The key guide can thus be well extended downwardly over the lock for the best guiding action. This guide also provides thereby a shield that will prevent rain, snow and ice from entering the lock opening 13.

In Fig. 5, there is shown key guides that are made by cutting away a central portion of'a plastic doll dish.

These dishes are normally made of flexible plastic material and with a cutting dye a central opening 30 is cut away and two key guides 3-1 and 32 will have been struck. These key guides will not necessarily have the height of the key guide 10 but will have suflicient height as to locate slot or notch 33 or 34 well over the key opening 13 when the key guide is applied to the door surface in the same manner that the key guide It has been applied thereto over the cylinder lock 11.

Converging side edges 35 and 36 of the key guide 31 or the converging side edges 37 and 38 of the key guide 32, while being angled from one another more than one hundred and twenty degrees and less than one hundred and eighty degrees will be sufficient guiding edge to direct the key directly to the slot notch 33 or 34 and the corners of the guide edges being sufliciently curved or abrupt at their inner ends as to easily bring the key home into the slot 33 or 34 and into alignment with the key opening 13. The curved portions of the converging edges can readily flex to permit the turning of the key in the same manner as above described with reference to the key guide 10. g Y

The key guides 31 and 32 respectively have bulbous portions 39 and 46 extending inwardly from their respective securing flanges 41 and 42 and arcuate inner ribs 43 and 44 into which the respective notches 33 and 34 protrude. The curved portions of the edges 45, 45

and 47, 48 respectively extend about portions extending inwardly from the ribs 43 and 44, and can be easily and readily depressed to permit the turning of the key but at the same time have suflicient rigidity to render the curved side edges effective as guiding edges for the key.

It will be apparent that having the material flexible and adapted to be depressed when the key is home in the key opening that a key guide has been provided for cylinder type locks in which the guiding notch edges can be axially aligned with the sides of the key opening and so that the key is fully and positively guided all the Way to the key opening. Had such a guide been made of rigid metal its notch could not overlie the key opening and permit the key to be turned when inserted into the lock.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A key guide for a cylinder-type lock comprising a flexible inverted dish-like member having a flange adapted for the attachment of the guide to a supporting surface about the lock, a raised formation extending upwardly and inwardly from the attaching flange and adapted to lie over a key opening and including a flat flexible and depressible central area, said depressible area having an open ended slot adapted to be exactly centrally aligned with the key opening and to receive a key, and said key guide having converging under guide edges leading to the lower open end of the slot and serving when upper sliding pressure is applied to the key toguide the key home through the open end of the slot into the slot and into the key opening'.

2. A key guide for a cylinder-type lock as defined in claim 1, wherein said converging edges being curved adjacent to and leading into said slot.

3. A key guide for a cylinder-type lock as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide includes a bulbous portion, an arcualte 'shaped rib on the bulbous portion and said flat depressible area extending inwardly from said rib.

4. A key guide for a cylinder-type lock as defined in claim 3, wherein said slot extends outwardly through the fiat depressible area and terminating in said rib.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED'STATES PATENTS 1,088,237 Mulford Feb. 24, 19l4 1,751,153 Hauser Mar. 18, 1930 2,036,541 Ringeis Apr. V7; 1936 2,-585 331 King 12; 1952 I FOREIGN PATENTS 147,055 Australia June 26; 195 2 

